Helping a child in another country receive a major surgery involves many helping hands and unexpected items, including blankets.
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The “Blanket Making Factory” event Sunday afternoon at NorthPark Community Church brought together people of all ages to donate this small but comforting item to families around the world.
“What we’re doing can comfort a child in a far away place who is recovering from surgery without their parents present,” said businesswoman Naomi Carmona-Morshead.
Carmona-Morshead is partnering with Soroptimist International of Greater Santa Clarita Valley, local Boy Scout troops, the National Council of Jewish Women and local churches to make blankets and care packages for patients of Mending Kids International.
Mending Kids provides free surgeries to children around the world who need them, sending teams to countries like Costa Rica, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia and Mozambique.
Related article: Mending Kids Provides Life-Changing Surgeries To Children Around The World
Director of Social Services for Mending Kids Cristina Farrut said there are three types of services offered: U.S. care, where the organization pays for a child to come to the U.S. to receive treatment; care in their home country, where Mending Kids is able to pay for a child to receive surgery where they are from; and medical missions, where Mending Kids brings a team to where the child is located, perhaps a remote village, to provide the surgery where they live.
Carmona-Morshead said about 40 people have attended previous “Blanket Making Factory” events, but this year over 100 registered.
About 20 of those volunteers came from Bright Star ATA Martial Arts, said Jean Morrison, owner and chief instructor.
“Every month I get kids involved in actual service,” she said. “We can teach discipline and respect, but if you don’t put that into action it’s no use.”
About Mending Kids International
Founded in 2006, nonprofit organization Mending Kids International has provided more than 1,500 free life-changing surgeries to children in 54 countries, including the United States’ “Hometown Missions.” Mending Kids deploys renowned specialized surgical teams on missions to developing countries and brings children to Los Angeles, where they live with volunteer host families during advanced surgical care and recuperation. Mending Kids’ missions additionally focus on providing pediatric surgical training in developing countries to help doctors to build long-term sustainable surgical programs. Funding comes from donations and special events. Ninety percent of every dollar goes to the surgical treatment of the children.
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Additional reporting by Allison Pari
More information: Santa Clarita News
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